With the advent of sophisticated telecommunication services, telecommunication consumers frequently experience the reception of unwanted or otherwise undesirable telephone calls. For example, telemarketers frequently use computerized calling procedures, which often interrupt consumers at unwanted times, such as at meal times.
In the prior art, telephone customers are able to screen such incoming calls, using a caller identification ("caller ID") system, after they have been alerted to the incoming call, typically by an incoming ring. Under such circumstances, the consumer is interrupted from their current activity, and must personally examine the incoming caller identification information to determine whether they want to answer the incoming call.
Another current method of call screening includes use of a telephone answering and message recording machine. Under this method, the consumer typically allows the machine to answer, and personally listens to any message, which may be in the process of being recorded. The consumer may then choose to interrupt the message recording process and answer the call at that time. Again, the consumer has been interrupted from his or her current activity, and must also personally listen to the incoming message to screen the call. In addition, this type of call screening is unavailable to consumers utilizing centralized voice mail systems, which typically do not broadcast the audible message as it is being recorded.
As a consequence, a need remains for an apparatus, method and system that may be used by a telecommunication consumer to automatically screen their incoming calls. Such call screening should occur without personal interruption and without any required user intervention (such as caller ID examination or listening to a message). In addition, such an apparatus, method and system should be user friendly, should be personalized and automatically tailored to the needs, tastes and preferences of individual customers. In addition, the apparatus, method and system should be cost effective and capable of implementation in existing telecommunication systems.